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No economic gains for poor

by Barbados Today
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Caswell Franklyn

Despite the positive economic outlook presented in the Central Bank’s third quarter financial report, an outspoken labour leader says the gloomy realities of working-class citizens paint a totally different picture.

According to General Secretary of the Unity Workers’ Union Caswell Franklyn heavy taxation policies and inconsistent payment for dozens of public servants were continuing to cripple the economic fortunes of “average” Barbadians and have totally reversed the five percent salary increase given to public servants over a year ago.

Franklyn was reacting to a reported upswing in Barbados’ economic prospects over the first nine months of 2019, which was revealed earlier this week by Central Bank Governor, Cleviston Haynes.

To the contrary, Franklyn told Barbados TODAY he has been swamped with complaints from his members and believes the only people seeing improvements are those who supported the current Government during its rise to power.

“I don’t know what figures the Central Bank’s employees were looking at… but let me tell you something, he [Governor Haynes] is not on the ground. I am not seeing any growth or any prospect of growth for the working man,” the straightforward union leader declared.

For him, a clear indication of the inconsistency between the bank’s report and Barbadian reality is reflected in the number of civil servants, some in senior positions, being denied their salaries for months on end.

“I was talking to a worker who was complaining that he wasn’t getting his full pay from government and he is quarreling with me for not being able to get him money from government. These are people working in the Drainage Division cleaning the drains and moving dead dogs and things out of the drains, who cannot get their allowances…. If things were improving, these guys would have been able to get their money. These are people working for minimum wage,” he argued.

“You have situations where nurses aren’t getting paid and I have nurses who are acting at the senior level who have not been paid since February. I don’t know what the governor is seeing, but he is probably seeing figures from someplace else, not Barbados. There is no positive outlook for anybody working in Barbados unless you are one of the party hacks that is getting these contracts.”

In addition, Franklyn complained that Government in the form of taxation was still placing a heavy burden on those who could ill afford to pay. In fact, he said the five per cent salary increase given to workers when the Mia Mottley government first came into office was now virtually useless.

“That increase has been wiped out and is now gone. I do not know what the Government is thinking…they are just hitting and missing and when it doesn’t work they are trying something else,” argued Franklyn.

“I don’t know if they are practicing trickle down economics where, if you give tax breaks to the people at the top, it would trickle to the people at the bottom. No trickling has been happening,” he said.

Instead he suggested Government sack some of its consultants and revert to professional civil servants.

“They civil servants have been helping to run this country from Independence but they are bringing in a lot of people who have never managed an economy, know nothing about it, only know text book and are giving very bad advice.”

Efforts to reach officials from the Barbados Workers’ Union and the National Union of Public Workers were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, President of the Small Business Association, Wayne Willock said while he was in no position to assess the Central Bank’s Report in the context of small enterprises in Barbados, he was hoping the positive outlook forecast by the governor would translate into positive things.

“I think we will have to look further down the road into next year’s projections. Certainly manufacturing and construction are the areas that should see more growth based on what is being highlighted,” said Willock. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

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